Simone Biles Successfully Concludes Her Comeback To The Olympics With A Silver Medal On The Floor Exercise.

PARIS – American gymnast Simone Biles fell short of the golden sendoff she had hoped for at the Olympics.

Biles won a silver medal in the floor exercise finals on Monday, making it her 11th Olympic medal. However, her routine included a couple of costly steps that caused her to go out of bounds. It was Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade who became the first gymnast to beat Biles in a floor final in a major international competition, finishing just ahead of Biles. Meanwhile, Biles’ longtime friend and teammate, Jordan Chiles, secured the bronze medal.

Although considered the greatest gymnast in the history of the sport, Biles did not perform at her usual best during her routine, set to music from pop icons Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Nonetheless, she added to her overall medal tally in Paris, now totaling four gold medals in the team, all-around, and vault finals, and a silver medal that came as a surprise in her signature event.

“I can’t be more proud of how I’ve done,” Biles said. “At 27 years old, I’m walking away from these Games with four medals to add to my collection. Not mad about it.”

Biles’ impressive medal count of seven gold, two silver, and two bronze medals ties Czechoslovakia’s Vera Caslavska for the second-most by a female gymnast in Olympic history. Unfortunately, Biles missed the opportunity to add a fifth medal in Paris when she fell during the beam final, finishing in fifth place.

Performing gymnastics routines at such a high level is not without its challenges. Biles experienced a bump on the road during her floor warm-up when she thudded to the mat. Additionally, she had her left calf, which she had tweaked in qualifying last week, re-wrapped before competing.

Although Biles’ routine wasn’t flawless – she stepped out of bounds twice – her exceptional difficulty level usually compensates for any shortcomings. However, this time it wasn’t enough. Biles earned a 7.833 execution score, including 0.6 in deductions for stepping out of bounds, which allowed Andrade to secure her second Olympic gold medal.

Nevertheless, wearing a red, white, and blue leotard adorned with thousands of crystals, Biles silenced the critics who had long derided her for withdrawing from multiple events at the Tokyo Games three years ago. In total, she won four medals in the competition, just one less than she did eight years ago in Rio de Janeiro.

Chiles, the final competitor of the day, initially received a score of 13.666 from judges. However, after filing an inquiry about the difficulty component of her score, her total was boosted by 0.1. This pushed Chiles ahead of Romanians Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea into third place.

Bringing attention to her haters, Biles mentioned that they seemed to be surprisingly quiet after her victory in the vault final on Saturday.

Contrasting the constant roar of support Biles usually receives inside Bercy Arena, this time silence pervaded the venue. Biles’ floor exercise is her signature event, allowing her to showcase boundary-pushing tumbling passes and charismatic choreography that produce the most exciting 75 seconds in her sport.

However, the excitement was tainted by an uncharacteristic lapse in execution during her routine. As she concluded her performance, Biles blew a kiss, a signature move she has incorporated in various forms over the years. Whether it was a kiss goodbye or not remains uncertain, even to Biles herself.

Regarding her future beyond the Paris Games, Biles has remained relatively silent. However, she did leave the door slightly open for a possible return when the Olympics shift to Los Angeles in 2028. “Never say never,” Biles stated after claiming another Olympic vault title. “The next Olympics are at home. So you just never know. I am getting really old.”

At 31 years old, Biles would be defying expectations, as most gymnasts retire by that age. Yet, given the significant gap between Biles and nearly every other gymnast in the sport, except for Andrade, who pushed Biles harder than anyone has in nearly a decade, anything is possible.

Biles’ silver medal in the floor exercise came just an hour after she fell during the beam final, resulting in her finishing fifth, tied with her teammate, Sunisa Lee.

Following the beam final, Biles and Lee, Olympic champions and longtime friends with a combined 17 Olympic medals, commiserated over the strange atmosphere in an oddly silent arena, usually throbbing with music at all times.

Italy’s Alice D’Amato claimed the gold medal on the beam with a score of 14.366. Zhou Yaqin of China earned the silver medal with a score of 14.100, narrowly ahead of the bronze medalist, Manila Esposito of Italy. Interestingly, this marked the first time Italy has ever medaled on beam, after securing the silver medal in the team competition, finishing second to the United States.

The awards podium has become a second home for Biles throughout her career, earning her an impressive total of 41 medals in major international competitions. A record that may never be surpassed, and who knows, it may even be extended in Los Angeles.